In 1993 a brief encounter with a piece of ‘recycled paper’ led us on a journey that would give rise to what was at that time a whole new industry in the country. The paper originated in a factory in Pannala, one of only two in the country that was making recycled paper. Due to multiple issues the factory staff had left and operations were at a standstill. Taking over the factory we built a whole new team and added new products and processes to the production cycle – creating paper using waste from paddy, banana and pineapple cultivations as well as waste paper and elephant dung.

Bringing this new product to the Colombo market, we knocked on the doors of leading businesses educating them about the product and the need to support recycling. Our efforts were answered with our first order from Mlesna Tea, followed by John Keels Hotels for whom we still manufacture coasters, hotel stationery etc. The support of these industry leaders opened more doors and the recycled paper industry became a reality.

The original factory is not part of our business anymore; instead we work with multiple smaller manufacturers from whom we source the paper for our products. Our product portfolio itself has evolved to cover a wide range of value added products using multiple mediums from paper to fabric to wood. We source a range of embellishments and outsource a variety of handcrafted work to small suppliers with final assembly, customization and most importantly quality control being carried out at our factory and workshop in Colombo.

In many ways, this evolution of our business model has enabled us to have a greater impact on the livelihoods of Sri Lankan artisans and the communities in which they operate.

For our customers having a central workshop and factory has meant a guarantee of quality and the knowledge that we are geared to deliver capacity and do so on-time.